B.C. Federation of Labour pushes for $13 minimum wage hike

The B.C. Federation of Labour is making the case for a minimum wage hike to $13 per hour throughout the province, but the BC Chamber of Commerce says that idea is “not related to reality.”

“You know it’s really unfortunate that the Federation of Labour doesn’t seem to want to do something to really contribute to economic growth,” said BC COC president and CEO John Winter. “We know what happens when you raise the minimum wage – businesses cut employee hours. All that will do is cut back on hours of work, particularly in the food industry.”

The Federation of Labour insists the wage hike is necessary to keep up with the “real” cost of living.

“In B.C., $10.25 per hour doesn’t come close to paying the bills,” said Jim Sinclair, president of the B.C. Federation of Labour, in a press release. “I think we can all agree that good jobs mean someone who works a full-time work week should be able to afford to raise a family.”

The Federation stated $10.25 per hour leaves a full-time worker $400 short in average bills every month.